Decode
by BrokenHallelujahs
Summary: As Claire struggles to find her identity, her memories slowly begin to piece themselves together. What memories will she unearth, and what does Alice truly mean to her?
1. Chapter 1

Title: Decode  
Author: Broken Hallelujahs  
Pairing: Alice/Claire  
Rating: M (for sex and language. If you're underage leave now before your parents catch you)  
Summary: As Claire struggles to find her identity, her memories slowly begin to piece themselves together. What memories will she unearth, and what does Alice truly mean to her?  
Disclaimer: Own not. Profit not. Sue not.

_A huge thank you to Jon and Manya19 for spending countless hours going over the little details with me. You two are amazingly patient and I'm blessed to have you!_

"Memories are all we really own" - Elias Lieberman

* * *

_Alice. Crazy Alice._

Claire froze in the back of the plummeting plane as the thought brought forth images, memories, unbidden and flashing violently.

She closed her eyes tight and sucked in a gasp of surprise.

_Crows. Infected crows. Hundreds of them, blotting out the sun, attacking the people around her, attacking her. A blonde girl screaming her name. Children in a bus. She remembered thinking she was going to die this time._

_Like some bad remake of 'The Birds' _her mind supplied unhelpfully.

_Then the sky was on fire, ash was falling, and in the midst of it all_...

_Alice_.

Then nothing. No more memories, and no explanations.

Claire's eyes snapped open, only to find they were on the roof, and Alice was already out of the cockpit, speaking to the survivors that had prompted her daring maneuver.

Annoyance with her current state gave way to fury in seconds. She threw back her canopy with more force than necessary and squirmed out of her restraints onto the wing in time to hear Alice introduce her to what Claire guessed was the leader of the little gang.

She ignored both his hand and his greeting, hopping down. Shooting Alice a quick glance, she stomped off to the farthest and highest point she could see.

A staircase.

She clambered up, feeling Alice's eyes on her just a moment more, but she ignored that too, and soon the weight of the gaze left her.

Claire gripped the metal railing in both hands, grit her teeth, and barely kept back a scream that threatened.

_Who the __**fuck**__ am I?_ She inwardly shouted at herself.

It didn't matter. No matter how hard she tried to dredge anything, any scrap of memory up, everything remained stubbornly clouded.

_God help me, I'm going to seriously enjoy damaging whoever did this to me_.

Still seething, she sank down on the concrete landing of the stairs and dropped her aching head into her hands.

_It's like Total Recall! Well, maybe more like Jason Bourne, you're kind of dangerous and moody like him_.

She sighed into her hands and fought down the urge to cry. None of this was making sense. So far all she knew was that she seemed to have enjoyed movies, but could recall nothing pertinent to her situation. Or, more importantly, any of the things that Alice had asked her about.

Or Alice, for that matter.

She'd been trying for two days now to get her memory to work for her and now, all of the sudden it was working, but still not in any way she wanted it to.

_Arcadia_. She urged herself to remember. _ARCADIA._

_A helicopter on a beach, that same blonde girl next to her, worry in her blue eyes. She felt tired, and so sad. Something was missing. Something important. There was an ache in her she didn't understand. Then, out on the horizon a ship, and coming from it boats, rescue boats, surging through the waves towards them._

_She started forward towards the craft and the crews manning them._

_Then nothing, a great, big, blurry blackness before..._

_Rough hands grabbed her, and then there was a sharp pain as the scarab device Alice asked about was shoved onto her chest. Something pierced her skin. She fought. Kicking, punching. Broke free and ran...-_

Claire brought her hands away from her face at the rush of information. She brought up her fingers to gingerly touch the skin between her breasts. A small scar greeted the pad of her index finger. She shivered lightly and dropped her hand.

_Is the blonde girl 'K-Mart'?_ She wondered and felt a pang in her chest at the idea of someone hurting the teen.

_But what about me?_ She grabbed a handful of red hair and closed her eyes again, willing herself to focus, feeling her eyebrows draw together as though obeying the command.

"Claire," she said aloud to herself, "my name is Claire Redfield."

_"Claire Redfield?" An older man asked, glasses in one hand, a pencil in the other. He looked up from his desk and scanned the room. Claire waited for his gaze to reach her before she raised two fingers by way of identification. She felt the smirk on her face, but couldn't, and wouldn't, have erased it for any reason. She could already tell this class was going to be a joke, and good ol' Noah up there was going to be a push over... -_

_"Claire!" Someone yelled after her, but she didn't stop, just continued out of the small apartment and towards her waiting motorcycle. _

_"Claire! Jesus, stop! I'm sorry, just wait a second, I didn't mean it! Come back here and let's just talk! Claire!"_

_The weight of the bike felt welcome to her as she swung her leg over and took up the kickstand, supporting it on her own. She revved the engine a couple of times, and despite the tears, a smile lit her face at the growl of the older model sport bike. Ignoring the continued pleas of the man chasing after her, she flipped him the bird over her shoulder and then gunned the engine... -_

"Claire?"

Claire's eyes snapped open once again, her breath ragged and heart in her throat, body flooded with adrenaline over the last, memory, flashback... whatever.

Alice was coming up the stairs towards her and Claire felt the ever present tension in her body relax almost immediately. She smiled at the older woman, not understanding the familiarity her body seemed to have with the stranger who called her 'friend'.

There was something there, she was sure of it, and it had to do with crows and fire.

_I __**am**__ going to figure this out_, she thought to herself as Alice crested the top of the steps and stepped in close. Her eyes traced over the brunette's body, her face, and she struggled with the urge to reach out and touch Alice's fingers. Somehow, as close as they were, Claire felt like she wanted to be even closer to the other woman. There was a warmth in Alice's presence and she knew, just knew, it would only be amplified by contact.

Alice pointed out over the city towards the distant ocean, and Claire's eyes followed her gesture immediately.

"Claire, that ship over there? That's Arcadia," she spoke as though surprised and Claire realized with a jolt that the woman wouldn't know. She hadn't been on the beach.

"I know," she replied, happy to be able to say it. To know that she remembered something, maybe it could help them. Help Alice.

She didn't miss the look of relief and what looked like a glimmer of hope that lit up the brunettes face. "You remember?"

Claire nodded slightly, "I remember the beach. People were coming to help us."

Her fingers reached again for that scar on her chest, Alice's eyes flickered down and back up.

"What happened? Why didn't you go with the others?"

Claire bit her lip and lightly shook her head, "I don't know. I can't remember."

Alice's face fell, but only slightly, perhaps she didn't think Claire would notice, but she did.

_I have got to figure this out, soon_. It felt like she was missing out on a secret that should have been hers to keep to begin with.

Claire watched Alice nod, her blue eyes flickered up and met Claire's stare for the briefest of seconds. Long enough for Claire to detect a look of pain that only served to further pique her curiosity.

"We have to get to that ship," Alice declared finally. Looking back out over the stretch of ruined city. She then sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Luther says there's food downstairs, I'm going to go eat something. You want to come with me?"

Claire opened her mouth to say yes but bit back the word at the last second, hating to shoot down the hopeful look on her 'friends' face but...

"I - I need some more time to myself, if you don't mind," she looked away quickly before those beautiful blue eyes could erode her will away.

"Sure, I'll just be inside then," Alice faltered and stopped at the bottom of the steps. Claire swallowed hard and pasted a small smile on her face for the other woman.

"Alice, I'll be fine. It's not like I'm going to be running away," she assured her and crossed her arms firmly over her chest.

Alice nodded and smiled back before turning to leave her to her thoughts.

Claire sank down once more, crossed her legs and looked up at the sky with a humorless laugh.

_Who am I?_

_

* * *

_TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for your reviews, it always brightens my day to receive them and know that someone else is enjoying my hard work! I hope you like part 2

* * *

Claire watched the sun set over what was once Los Angeles and tried to make sense of all the random information she was receiving. She fiddled with her fingers in her lap and stared out at the dying rays of the sun, not really seeing the beautiful colors, as her mind wandered again, again, and again. Snippets of her past, faces, places, sometimes just voices, all fell through her minds eye. There were splashes of color, fractured images, just blurs, almost like an abstract painting. Most were too brief for her to glean much information.

Worse to try and sift through were the emotions that came with them, flooding her with wave after wave of intensity. Anger so hot she felt her body shaking with it, sorrow so deep her eyes welled and overflowed with tears. Most were joyful, pulling laughter and smiles that stretched her face.

_"It's going to be the end of the world," a voice mused anxiously to her left._

_She turned and found herself eye to eye with a dark haired, blue eyed woman. She laughed at her friend and bumped her shoulder playfully. "Come on Kate, I highly doubt the world's going to end just because of the New Year. Be serious."_

_"I _am _being serious, Claire! There's a real chance this could spell out doom for humanity!" Kate threw her hands up in the air. "It's not funny!"_

_She shook her head, "The year 2000, oooooooh," and made sure to widen her eyes as much as she could for dramatic affect. Kate swiped at her with an open hand, but she ducked away, laughing again._

_"You shouldn't take it so lightly, Claire-bear. I mean, what would _you_ do if the world as you know it blew up in an instant? Huh?"_

_"I'm a Redfield," she answered firmly and proudly, "I'd survive."_

_Kate looked less than impressed by her response, but just shook her head and leaned back into her seat. __"You're lucky to have a best friend like me, you know that? I'm the only reason you'd survive an apocalypse."_

_"Why? Because you're so damned paranoid about the next disaster that's going to wipe out humanity?" She teased lightly, taking a big, noisy, slurp of her coffee because she knew it drove Kate nuts._

_"No, honey, because I'm the smart one. You call it paranoia, I call it being prepared. You never know when it could happen and I, for one, am going to be ready when it does." Kate finished and nodded to herself. "But don't worry buddy, I love you to pieces and I'll look out for you when the aliens attack."_

_"Aww, thanks pal," she responded and went to sip her coffee again... -_

Claire sighed through her nose and let her head fall back on the door behind her, then lifted it slightly and let it fall again. She continued to knock her head lightly on the metal door and willed her body to relax.

She couldn't remember very many relationships. Friends, coworkers, family. Kate was the first sign of anyone in her life before. It made her wonder if she'd been someone worth knowing. It seemed more likely though that the fog which clouded her memory had simply yet to lift off those particular gray areas but she couldn't shake the guilty feeling loose, or the idea that Claire Redfield had been someone who let other people down.

Even romance seemed to play a small roll in her past. There were a few quick carnal remembrances that brought a blush to her face and an ache to her whole body. But so few. She'd either not had many relationships, or none that were really worth reminiscing about to begin with.

That is, except the one.

One stuck out in her head with an electrifying tenacity. Their face continued to elude her remembrances, skirting on the edge of her mind, but she could remember the passion. That was the only way to describe it. Passionate. Different from the others with a sort of undercurrent that stirred her in a completely other way. Not just because the sex had been good. Whenever she remembered the feel of their hands, her body seemed to conjure the sensation on her skin, like magic. She could still _feel_ them on her body, fucking her into oblivion. Ghost sensations licked their way across her skin, a slow burning fire that ignited an unbelievable longing for her lover. No, it definitely wasn't just sex. Whoever they were, she'd swear they'd branded her soul.

_"Claire..." a voice rasped against her ear, "_Fuck_. Claire!"_

_She grinned into the dark, loving the feel of the body in her arms, the press of heated, sweat slick, skin against her own. It had been so long. She let her eye's close and bent to kiss her lover as hard as she could, groaning deep in her throat as a tongue snuck into her mouth in response. Just as her head was starting to swim at all the sensations a leather-like hand ran it's way up from her hip, skimmed across her stomach, over her ribcage, to gently cup her breast. She swore viciously and tossed her head back as that hand then clamped down on her tender flesh, fingers rolling her already painfully taught nipple._

_Two could play at this game._

_"Claire," the voice moaned, stretching her name in the best way possible... -_

She shivered as the memory left her, and dully noticed that it was starting to get cold out. The cooler temperature bit at her now heated skin. She drew her hands back to her arms in an attempt to rub the chill away.

What disturbed her most was the darkness of the memories after what she called 'z-day'. That phrase had echoed around her head, bouncing and clamoring like a church bell in a belfry. Those memories were so heavy, saturated with a painful sense of loss, hopelessness, and breathtaking sadness. When she surfaced from those it took everything she had in her not to vomit. It was overwhelming, paralyzing, fear. Not the paranoia she felt now, not the leeriness of someone who'd lived that life for so long. The girl in her memories was not hardened to the gory truth of the infected, nor was she used to combat, blood, and death. Every time she managed to remember a new piece she immediately wished she could forget it. There was so much death.

_She was still tinkering with the old Triumph when the power went out._

_"Shit," she swore softly, and sat back on her heels. She squinted around the now dark garage and felt a shudder works its way up her spine. Silly though it was, she was always a little afraid of the dark._

_Clutching the socket wrench tightly in her hand, she scrambled to her feet. "Joel?" She called out, and jumped when she heard the clank of metal on concrete. Someone had knocked over some tools stumbling around, "Joel it's not funny, where are you?"_

_More sounds, an odd shuffling behind her, then finally Joel's' hand on her shoulder. She sighed in annoyance and turned around to give him a thorough chewing out._

_It wasn't Joel._

_The eyes were white, filmy, his face had a long gash from forehead to the corner of his lip, blood coated his chin, matted his hair, and soaked his clothing. Her mouth fell open, but the scream wouldn't leave her. The smell hit next. Putrid, rotting, and greasy. She gagged and it sprang to life lunging forward, mouth open, teeth gleaming._

_Now she screamed, the sound ripped from her without any conscious effort on her part. Instinctively she swung the wrench, hard, and heard a sickening crack. She screamed again and brought the wrench down harder, over and over._

_Another clatter sounded and she spun around, eyes wide, breathing hard, wrench clutched tightly in a double handed grip._

_"The fuck?" she cried... -_

Then there was the desert, stretching as far as she could see. It brought to mind the blazing sun, painfully peeling skin, a thirst so hard it made her stomach ache in sympathy, bullets, blood, and tears. Different from the other memories of herself 'Desert Combat Claire' as she'd dubbed her, was colder than the wide eyed youth she had been - but brittle. Death and decay had worn her down, smoothed her out and left her slippery to the touch of others. Despite that, somehow, in the midst of all the tumultuous feelings DC Claire seemed to be suffering from; she still also had hope. The source of that hope remained fuzzy to her, but Claire felt it in her memories of the sand. _Hope_.

The sound of a flare gun firing brought her back into reality. Her heart was still pounding away, and all the tension that had gone from her limbs returned with a vengeance. She battled to get her fingers to unclench around the knife she suddenly had in her hand. Slowly her fingers released the grip, she grasped it again, loosely this time, and stuck it back into her belt. The sky had gone dark, except for the sickly green of the flare that was even now fading.

Claire stood up stiffly, joints cracking in protest, and pinched the bridge of her nose against the encroaching headache but had nothing to combat it with. Maybe Alice had some Aspirin hidden away somewhere, or one of the survivors.

Sighing to herself she started down the stairs, boots clanging loudly on the metal steps, and headed towards the lone figure she could make out standing by the plane.

_Guess I should go make friends_, she thought and stuffed her cold fingers deep into the pockets of her jeans.

"Hey," she called out to the man standing at the far end of the prison roof. He was wearing Marine Corps. camouflage she realized as she drew closer to him, but he didn't look like any Marine she'd ever met. "Um, what's going on?"

He smiled at her after a moment, and gestured out over the sea of undead, "Just sending out a flare, we send one out every hour, maybe eventually we'll catch Arcadia's attention."

She raised her eyebrows in what she hoped would translate as an 'oh' expression. Crossing her arms she leaned out over the ledge carefully and peered down at the shuffling, groaning, masses of re-animated corpses. "I'm Claire," she said abruptly, not bothering to offer her hand or even eye contact. To be honest she was a bit surprised at herself for saying anything.

"Angel," he answered, "You want to take a look?"

Claire blinked and stood back up, eyebrows drawn together, mouth already forming the question when Angel held up a pair of binoculars. Again her eyebrows shot to her hairline, but she reached out for the offered item and even managed a quiet 'thanks'.

"No sign of anyone on deck," she sighed, though she wasn't exactly sure what it was she was looking for to begin with. A bunch of people jumping up and down with signs that had her name on them?

"Your friends are out there?"

Claire jumped, only slightly, as Angel's voice chimed in closer to her than she remembered him being. She spared him a glance and shrugged. "I think so."

"You don't remember?" He asked, sounding almost concerned.

Unfortunately for him all his gentle question did was remind her of everything that had been bothering her for the past few days. She frowned at him and fought down the irritation and slowly growing fear. _God, would everyone stop asking me if I remember shit?_

"It's coming back. Slowly." She answered, and started to bring the binoculars up again then added, mostly to herself. "Nothing that makes any sense."

Angel fell silent, perhaps content to let her wallow in the misery of her lost memories. She scanned the deck of the Arcadia one last time then handed him back the binoculars.

"How long have you and Alice been together?" He asked. Claire bristled at the question, mostly because she didn't actually know, but also the way he phrased it made her instantly defensive.

"What do you mean?" She decided to be blunt, it seemed natural to her anyway.

"You know, how long have you guys been flying around?" Angel's smile was too good natured and his eyes were kind, curious, not the least bit intrusive or rude. Claire relaxed and shook her head, she finally graced him with a smile.

"A couple of days, we flew down from Alaska."

"Oh, right, Alice said something about Alaska," Angel fell silent again and for that she was thankful. It wasn't that he was a bad guy, she just felt uncomfortable trying to answer questions.

"I'm going to head on inside and grab some food, are you staying up here?"

Claire nodded immediately, relieved at the thought of being alone again. He gestured over at the small tarp and table set up to their right.

"There's some water in a canteen over there if you want some, and a wool blanket if you get cold," He smiled again, then turned, heading inside.

She waited until the crunch of gravel stopped and she heard the door slam close, then she moved over and sat down under the tarp. Eventually she found the old canteen in the dark and took a quick swallow of water out of it. She winced at the metallic taste, but was glad of the liquid, it soothed her throat at least. After settling herself as comfortably as possible on the little stool she closed her eyes, willing her mind to wander once more.

It didn't take long for the memories to resurface.

* * *

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Here we go, on to chapter 3. Hopefully you guys will enjoy it - it's a bit on the long side but I'm hoping you won't complain. Trust me when I say, chapter 4 is even better.

I've said it once, but I'll say it again: if you're not 18 it's not my fault if you get grounded for reading this, I'm warning you fair and square, 18+ only on this one.

"Make this go away, I'm begging please -  
there's little life left here for me to bleed.  
Is this where I end, or is this where we begin?"

- Lifehouse 'Near Life Experience'

* * *

"Hey."

"Shit!" Claire hissed as her body reflexively jerked at the impromptu interruption on her thoughts.

Alice stood behind her, wearing a sheepish smile and holding a tray of food.

"Jesus, Alice," she breathed when her heart slowed to a normal pace again, "you shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

The brunette winced, "sorry, I forgot... Never mind, sorry."

Claire narrowed her eyes at the poorly hidden cover up, _I'm really fucking sick of this whole memory amnesia _bullshit. She decided to cut the other woman some slack though, she looked tired and worried. "It's alright, I'm kind of jumpy too, I guess."

_Jumpy doesn't quite cover it_, she frowned. Her entire body felt like it was on high alert at all times. Some weird energy seemed to permeate her skin and she was actually a little surprised Alice had been able to sneak up on her at all. It was like paranoia but in the extreme - and the Claire in her memories didn't seem to be an overly paranoid person, despite living during an apocalypse filled with undead cannibalistic humans. No, the Claire she was supposed to be was level headed, calm, and purposeful. Not jittery like she'd skulled a bunch of redbulls.

Alice motioned towards her with the tray, "I brought you some food. I thought you might be more comfortable away from strangers."

She accepted the tray with a snorted, "Strangers, right," and sat back down with a huff. Technically _Alice_ was a stranger. She eyed the food warily for a moment, not sure what the mush was supposed to be, but a hot meal was a hot meal. The fork felt foreign in her hands as she picked it up and scooped some of the unappealing mass onto it. Hesitating only briefly she quickly shoved the concoction in her mouth, chewing as little as possible before swallowing. She looked up and noted that Alice had moved just a little bit closer, their knees almost brushing against one another. _I guess Alice doesn't observe the rules of personal space_, she smiled to herself and took another bite. "Thank you," she said aloud, and meant it.

"You're welcome."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence while she finished the food on her tray. Alice didn't move away from her, merely crossed her arms and looked off into the distance. While she couldn't, for the life or her, figure out why the other woman hovered so, Claire found her company soothing.

"It's uh, it's getting cold out here. You going to come in? There's something resembling beds in the cells. It'd probably be good to get a night's sleep on something other than the cold ground or the back of an airplane."

When she looked up again she found Alice's sharp blue eyes waiting. Those eyes of hers that should have been repulsive, but Claire found warm and fascinating. Like a moth drawn to flame, she couldn't help looking right into them, deeply, until her mind went blank. She felt her lips open, only slightly, enough for a warm exhalation to escape, and then blinked rapidly, breaking the spell. She shook her head and quickly looked away, though she could still feel the blush creeping up her neck.

She cleared her throat, "Yeah, you're right, I should probably come inside."

The older woman looked relieved, so Claire mustered forth a half smile for her, just the barest pull on the right corner of her lips and stood up. The brunette's hand went forward, reaching towards hers, then fell back to her side. It was very fast but she caught it; She was getting good at picking up on the little things Alice did. What really surprised her was that simultaneously, and without any direction from her whatsoever, her hand had also reached out.

_What are you? _She wanted to demand of her silent, beautiful, _confusing_, companion. Instead she gripped the now empty tray firmly with both hands and nodded her head towards the door leading into the depths of the prison_._ Alice led the way, giving Claire the chance to stare openly at the back of her head with the perplexed expression she'd been wanting to give the woman since she woke up tied to an airplane.

It was right on the tip of her tongue, begging to be spoken aloud, to be asked. _What are we to each other?_ But she kept it to herself, determined to figure it out on her own. At least most of it. And only if she couldn't figure it out, at all, without assistance, would she ask, because as she walked silently behind her companion deeper into the prison that would be their fortress for the next while, Claire got the feeling that it would pain Alice to hear the question.

There was more to the story, she knew it, but for now their relationship (whatever it had been) remained lost in the tangled mess that made up her memories.

Alice slowed and stopped, almost awkwardly, in front of an empty cell. "Everyone else is down at the other end," she cleared her throat and when she spoke again it was in a whisper. "I'm not sure about them yet. I think it's best we keep our distance."

Relieved, Claire nodded in agreement. She might not know who she was, but she definitely knew that she was not a fan of this new bunch. Leaning slightly she peered around Alice into the dark cell and was surprised to find herself thinking that it was nice. A lot nicer than places she could remember sleeping recently.

"Here's your room ma'am, there's spare blankets in the closet if you get cold and extra towels above the sink. We hope you enjoy your stay at Chez Apocalypse," Alice quipped from beside her. Claire turned to look and found the older woman grinning at her.

She snorted, "I hope you're not expecting a tip."

Alice laughed and warmly squeezed Claire's shoulder, she pointed at the cell next to what had just become Claire's. "I'll be right next door, try to keep the noise down on the tv, I'm a light sleeper these days."

Claire coughed a laugh and moved into her cell, heading directly for the old bunk. She all but collapsed onto the bed and winced at the noisy rattle she'd caused. The mattress beneath her was thin, the air in the cell was stale, she was already cold, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd been so comfortable. She rolled onto her side and stared at the wall, resisting the urge to shiver as she became aware of just how dark it was.

There were no torches on their side of the tier, and the blackness seemed to swallow her whole. She tried to think about something else, anything else, but the images she kept seeing were those of old horror films and somehow, Mike Meyers wasn't all that soothing to her over-active imagination.

_I am too old to be afraid of the dark, _she silently chastised herself, rolled to her back and squeezed her eyes shut. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her head like a metronome.

"Grow up," she mumbled aloud, took several deep breaths and forced her eyes back open. "This isn't some sad homage to the Blair fucking Witch Project."

The anxiety in her limbs grew to almost intolerable levels, until it felt like ants were crawling under her skin. It hadn't been as noticeable to her before. When she was ambulatory the nervous energy was more manageable, but sitting or lying still caused the tension to rise. Her arms twitched uncontrollably and she had to fight down the sudden urge to cry. _Jesus, is this what it's like to go insane_? She closed her eyes again and focused on her breathing, willing her mind to quiet and her rebelling body to relax.

After several moments of long, steadying, deep breaths she now remembered learning in a yoga class, her troubled mind tumbled deep into the rabbit hole, dragging her into an uneasy sleep.

_Suddenly feeling claustrophobic in the confines of the truck bed, Claire excused herself and jumped out into the cooling desert night. She heard the boys murmuring behind her about ammunition and where the safest bet for a gas station would be 'on the strip', but her attention fell to the group of people huddled around a campfire. Her people, her band of survivors, her motley crew. They trusted her with their lives, looked to her to make decisions, to be their fearless leader, and she was leading them into the lion's den in the morning. Would they follow her still, after it was over and the bodies were counted?_

_She wasn't sure how many more ghosts she could handle following her around._

_"Claire?"_

_She turned at her name and found Carlos studying her with that oddly endearing half-assed smile of his._

_"Call it a night boys, tomorrow's going to be hell and we don't have time to stop at Starbucks," she said with her very best leader smile._

_They laughed at her joke, and all made sure to touch her in some way as they walked past her to their respective vehicles. Carlos ruffled her hair, Mikey punched her shoulder, Chase tapped her nose with one long, bony, finger and LJ, after whistling at her appreciatively, leaned in to kiss her cheek._

_She waited a few moments more before she spoke up, calling out to those gathered around the leaping flames, "Guys, let's call it a night, huh? We're moving tomorrow, so head on in and get some sleep."_

_Though she felt like a mother scolding her children, no one complained or gave her lip service, they simply stood and shuffled off through the sand. She shook her head fondly and rolled her eyes as every one of them walked past the fire without a pause to consider putting it out._

_She sighed and closed her eyes wearily, just for a moment letting the weight of how tired she really was settle over her. Then her blue eyes were open again and she moved forward into the heart of the convoy to snuff the flames._

_As she finished kicking gritty sand over the coals she heard the unmistakable sound of clothing rustling and turned her head to see Alice, strange little Alice, moving to the far side of her yellow Hummer and out of sight._

_Claire frowned, wondering what the other woman could possibly be up to and why she had to do it by her Hummer. She knew that Alice had been on her own for a long time, and all that time away from other humans had built up walls so high and strong it was a wonder she could even speak. Yet the way Alice watched her, and Carlos, and K-Mart, it wasn't the way a wild animal warily eyes the human encroaching on it's domain. She stared at them like she'd give anything in the world to stay right where she was. The hope in her eyes broke Claire's heart._

_So with a deep breath and her mind made up she quietly moved through the moonlit camp toward her beloved Hummer._

_Alice was leaning back against the cold vehicle, her cool blue eyes focused up on the night sky. Claire joined her without a word, copied her position, crossed her arms and turned her face upwards._

_"It's amazing, isn't it?" She said softly, always taken aback by the sheer number of stars one could see in the desert wasteland._

_She felt Alice's gaze focus on the side of her head but didn't meet it, instead she pointed up, "Look, there's Capricorn."_

_Claire waited a beat before she turned to look at her still silent companion to find her dutifully looking to where she had pointed._

_"Is that your sign?" Alice's rough voice sounded amused, and when she looked back her face matched the tone._

_Claire smiled, pleased with her progress, "Yeah. What's yours?"_

_"Scorpio."_

_She squinted back up at the stars, and pointed once more, "That one. That's yours." She let her hand drop back and felt her smile widen on it's own. Not forced for once. "I took an astronomy course in college. Always was a little obsessed with the stars."_

_They lapsed back into silence, Alice watching the stars, Claire watching Alice. Though Alice's eyes seemed to be stuck on the stars, she also seemed quite aware of the intensity of Claire's gaze. She shivered slightly, as if a gentle breeze had stirred up around them, and instinctively the two moved fractionally closer together._

_"I'm sorry," Alice said abruptly._

_Claire blinked over at her in surprise, confusion drawing her eyebrows together. The other woman's expression was so painfully earnest. "What the hell for?"_

_"I - I haven't," the taller woman drew in a raggedy breath and tried again. "It's been a long time, since I've been around other people. I'm not very good at it anymore."_

_Alice looked down at her feet, seeming embarrassed by the confession. Claire reached out for her, her hand coming to rest on Alice's slender shoulder. She smiled encouragingly when the other woman's eyes shot up to hers, surprised at the physical contact. "It's okay," Claire assured her and smiled once again._

_Alice visibly brightened at the encouragement, a tender 'really?' shimmering unspoken in her eyes, and she let herself draw nearer to Claire. Not wanting to release the warm contact, Claire let her hand slide over to hold Alice more comfortably against her side as they both turned their attention back to the glittering sky._

_They looked away from the heavens at the same time, and Claire found herself suddenly lost in the closeness of Alice's eyes, that same hungry look to them that had always been there, but she was so much closer. She was drawn in, unable to move away even if she'd wanted to, and the moment stretched, weighty and thick. Claire closed the distance between them, watching Alice until the last second, and softly kissed her._

_She pulled away almost immediately, astounded at her own boldness. "I'm sorry, Alice, I shouldn't ha-"_

_The sudden pressure of Alice's lips against hers interrupted her sentence, leaving Claire a little dumbfounded. It took a moment for the shock to wear off, long enough for Alice to try to retreat, but Claire eagerly chased after her when she returned to her senses. She caught her mouth again, a little harder this time, and pressed the other woman up against the H2. She couldn't suppress her groan at the feel of their curves running together when she sealed herself against the taller woman. One hand slapped up against the door as she tried to keep from dropping her entire weight onto Alice's lithe frame when the other woman deftly slipped her hot tongue into her mouth. She responded in kind, mind swimming in giddy delirium at the slick sensation, infinitely pleased to feel Alice shudder against her as she curled her tongue expertly._

_Claire barely managed to wrench herself away long enough to catch her breath. She dropped her forehead to Alice's collarbone and drew in long, uneven breaths. Alice had her hands under the thin material of her shirt, and her palms were practically burning through her skin as they slid over her back and stomach._

_That close to the smooth column of her neck in her current position, she decided to give in to the temptation it offered. She ran her mouth along the side, letting her teeth lightly graze the tanned flesh. Alice whimpered, and clutched more tightly to her, her short nails briefly tasting the skin of Claire's back. It spurred the redhead into action, she flicked her tongue out to soothe the line her teeth had made, and then began to kiss her way back to Alice's gasping mouth._

_Alice greeted her with lips and teeth and tongue, her hands moving with more purpose against her skin. They both stopped when one hand dared to dip below the waistline of Claire's pants._

_Eyes locked once again in the dark and Claire knew that Alice was waiting for the same decision to be made. She made it for both of them, reaching around the other woman to yank at the handle of the car-door while simultaneously pulling her away from the car and into her waiting arms and lips. Once the door was open Claire maneuvered them around and herded Alice into the depths of the Hummer. The leather of the backseat groaned in protest as the women crashed onto it in a tangled heap._

_"The back," Claire managed to pant between feverishly exchanged kisses. Alice latched on to her neck like a starving vampire, pulling a half-choked cry from the convoy leader who was desperately trying to get Alice in the back of the H2 and her shirt off at the same time._

_They stumbled, crawled, and rolled their way into the back of the vehicle. Claire pulled away from Alice, "hold on," and fumbled around the various bags. Alice might have stopped sucking the air from Claire's lungs for the moment, but her hands were still busy, roaming over every inch she could reach. Claire's voice broke in the middle of her triumphant 'ah-ha' when Alice's clever hand closed in on her breast. She all but tackled the other woman, knocking her back onto the tattered backpacks and duffel bags that filled the back of Claire's Hummer, and locked her lips back on Alice's collarbone. It had quickly become her favorite spot on the other woman because of the way it made Alice's eyes roll back and the sounds it pulled from her. _

_There was a soft 'crack' and a dull green light flooded the small area._

_Alice paused for a moment and turned her head to look at the objects glowing in Claire's grasp, "glowsticks?" she inquired, amusement clear on her features._

_Claire shrugged and grinned at her, "I don't have any candles."_

_Returning the earlier favor, she smothered Alice's light laughter with a hard kiss, and her laugh soon became a low moan._

_Claire bit down lightly on Alice's full lower lip, then sucked it deep into her mouth to remedy the hurt she'd caused. She started working her way down, dragging her mouth wetly across her lean neck, nipping intermittently, until she reached her intended target. Alice's nipples stood out through the fabric of her shirt, plainly indicating that she wore no bra, and practically begged for attention. Attention Claire meant to lavish upon them. She pulled the nearest one into her mouth, teasing it through the shirt with her tongue. Alice cried her name and arched up sharply when Claire fastened her teeth gently around the hard nub. She regretfully released it after a moment longer and shifted to give it's twin a turn. She laved this one with her tongue, swirling and flicking, then suckled at it until Alice's voice cracked once again on her name. _

_Claire pushed the hem of Alice's shirt up as best she could and set her lips to the task of mapping out the firm muscles of the other woman's stomach. Alice was writhing beneath her now, one hand fisted securely in Claire's hair, the other gripping her bicep tightly._

_Alice's whole frame trembled beneath her when she trailed a lazy hand up the inside of her thighs. Claire watched her eyes roll back when she ran a single digit over her center, hot through the material of her clothes. Her eyes blinked open when her motions stopped, giving Claire the time she wanted to drink in every detail. The dimming glowsticks didn't offer much but she could see the color staining Alice's cheeks, the darkness of her eyes, how swollen her lips were and the wet marks on her heaving chest._

_She moved her body forward and Alice came up to meet her, mouths now joining like old friends. As they kissed Claire snuck her hand into Alice's shorts. Unsurprised to find no other resistance to her ultimate goal, she slid her fingers inside of her and muffled her loud cry with a slow, hot, kiss. Claire moved back to Alice's collarbone and heard her name, falling from Alice's lips like a litany, over and over as she worked her fingers in her harder and faster. She bent over and took a nipple back into the warmth of her mouth and it was enough to send Alice flying over the edge into blissful oblivion with a strangled "Claire!"_

_Claire smiled and kept moving her fingers, languidly now, until Alice's hips stopped twitching against her. When she bent to kiss her again she suddenly found herself pinned onto her back. Alice sat on top of her hips, breathing hard, a smug little smirk on her face. Another series of cracks sounded and orange light flared up in the place of the nearly dead green. Claire grinned as Alice tossed the orange glowsticks onto the floor and reached up to pull Alice down. She threaded her fingers into the short hair at the back of her neck and let her free hand roam._

_Alice's hands were busy as well. One kneading away at Claire's breast the other playing at the hot skin of her hips. Claire lifted her head and let it fall back onto the hard floor of the Hummer as Alice came away from her mouth and started sucking at her throat._

_"You're going to leave a hickey," she protested weakly, wishing to God that she didn't have to. The idea of sporting a hickey, of having a hickey _to_ sport, was thrilling in a childish sort of way, but it wouldn't look very mature or leader-like. Alice ceased her ministrations immediately and moved them elsewhere. _

_"Oh fuck," Claire whimpered as Alice dug into her shirt, moved her bra, and latched on to her nipple. Clearly she figured if she couldn't leave a hickey where it could be seen she'd have to find a place where it could be concealed._

_The hand that had been slowly driving her mad, the thumb rubbing small circles against her hip bone, suddenly moved, sliding up and taking with it her shirt. Alice's mouth moved away from her chest and landed on her stomach. Claire cried out incoherently as her stomach flexed at the ticklish, wonderful, sensation. Her hips jerked against Alice without any direction from her, seeking a way to quell the needy ache that had built up between her legs. Alice returned her hand to her rolling hips and pushed them down gently, but firmly, to keep them from throwing her off._

_"Alice," Claire couldn't help but beg, as the other woman pinched at her nipple and she bit into her lip to try and keep from screaming._

_At long last she felt a tug at her pants as Alice undid the button and drew down the zipper before reaching a leather-like hand inside. Her fingers were tentative at first, exploring her in the most teasing manner possible._

_"Alice, please," she ground out and banged her head against the floor while her body contorted in torturous pleasure. Her mouth fell open in a silent cry as Alice complied and thrust her long fingers deep. She clutched hard at the other woman's shoulders as she started moving in her, clumsily at first then more confidently as Claire began to cry out with each entry and grind her hips against her searching fingers more desperately at each pass._

_She learned fast, so damn fast, and Claire's head started to swim as she played her body like she was Jimi Hendrix with a custom made guitar. Alice's thumb came up and brushed ever so lightly, against her clit. Once, twice, and then a third time a little more roughly and Claire lost all control._

_When she came back down from her high, spiraling back into reality, her throat was raw from the scream that had torn it's way out of her vocal chords and her ears were ringing. Alice was still perched on her hips, that same smirk back on her face as she looked down at her._

_"Come here," she croaked, and wondered bemusedly if she'd be able to talk in the morning. Alice came crawling back up her body, dropping kisses here and there on whatever skin was still exposed by her oddly twisted clothing. Finally they were nose to nose again and Claire lifted her head up to meet her new lover with a burning kiss. Alice sighed and dropped onto her shoulder next to the now exhausted redhead, who turned onto her side, offering her back to the older woman. Without any hesitation Alice shifted in closer and wrapped her arms carefully around Claire, pulled her back against her and settled her face into her neck._

_Claire felt her body relax, sagging into Alice's warmth as her eyes started to droop. As tired as she was she still noticed the tension in the body behind her and could feel her thinking quietly._

_"What do you miss most?" Alice asked, her raspy voice tickling against her ear._

_She sighed, and nuzzled deeper into the crook of the other woman's arm. Sated, warm, and oh so comfortable, she was groggy and not entirely coherent. "What?" She managed to mumble._

_Alice chuckled lightly and squeezed her tighter for a second. "What do you miss most, about the world before?"_

_Cracking an eye open, Claire observed their location for a moment; scattered clothes, weapons, and gear littered the back of the Hummer. "Right now? A bed."_

_Weapon worn hands smoothed over her skin, along her hip, stomach, then over her arm. "I think we did alright without one. You know, I'm sure before this it could've been somebody's fantasy."_

_"Alice," she laughed and turned over, "really?"_

_The brunette shrugged one slim shoulder, "I've heard of stranger ones."_

_Shaking her head she leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to Alice's smiling lips._

_Well, it was meant to be quick._

_When she found the urge to breathe too annoyingly strong to withstand she finally pulled herself away, but only far enough to settle back down against Alice's shoulder with sigh._

_"What else do you miss?"_

_Long fingers moved into her hair, pulling pleasantly at the strands and massaging her scalp. She went silent for a moment, eyes drifting shut again involuntarily._

_"Lots of things," she breathed out, "stuff I never thought twice about. Hot showers, scrambled eggs, going to dinner with friends. Stupid little things." She lifted her head up, eyes wide as a thought struck her. "Shampoo! Oh my God. Shampoo," she groaned piteously._

_The older woman smiled, "yeah, little things."_

_Silence fell between them again, and Alice's eyes drifted down moments before she leaned forward._

_She smiled as Alice's lips descended on hers and let her eyes close once more. There would be little sleep this night, but it was the little things which made life worthwhile... -_

Her eyes shot open and she realized that she was no longer lying on the lumpy prison mattress, but on the hard concrete floor beneath it. Her entire body was trembling, either from the arousal the dream had caused her or fear of whatever it was that had wakened her prematurely.

"Fuck," she moaned and pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, "what is _wrong_ with me." The way Alice stood so close without blatantly touching her. Her stifled movements and halting conversations. The way she looked at her.

_Longingly_.

Even the way Claire herself responded to the other woman. It all pointed here. Her mind might not have remembered, but her body had recognized its lover.

She rolled out from under the bunk and left the cell as fast as she could.

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TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you, everyone, for you wonderful reviews. They certainly make me happy and I hope that you will enjoy this next chapter as much (if not more so) than the last one!

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Claire moved into the dark of Alice's cell with a well practiced stealth she didn't remember having, but her body seemed to know what it was doing. She came up on the bunk and felt an almost painful lurch in her chest as she took in the shape of the slumbering woman. Alice slept in a tight ball, one hand under her pillow, presumably holding a weapon of some sort, with both legs tucked in close and her left hand tucked in against her chest. She looked so small and vulnerable, fragile even. Claire watched the nearly imperceptible movement of Alice's soft inhalations, saw her fingers twitch and the slight motion of her feet stirring. Alice was not overly tall and rather slight, so Claire could not fathom how it was that she could do the things that she did. Her personality made her seem larger than life, a gritty hero worn down by time and violence. But here. In the clutches of what appeared to be an uneasy but restful sleep, she was just a woman. A beautiful, crazy, wonderful woman.

She sat down carefully at the end of the bunk, amused and somewhat saddened when Alice curled her feet up, pulling in tighter, automatically adjusting to make room for her. Even in her sleep the brunette seemed to sense and move with her presence. Claire bit her lip as guilt washed over her. She had just remembered a brief moment in their history, her heart told her there was so much more to the story, and Alice had been dealing with the knowledge for how long? She _knew_ Claire, intimately, she _remembered_ her, well enough that she still moved unconsciously when they were together. Claire had no idea how long she'd been wandering the Alaskan wilderness like an animal, and during that time Alice had been aware that they were apart. She had to wonder, had Alice missed her? She seemed to have, the raw emotion in her eyes when she looked at her gave her away. But she didn't know the whole story. There were still pieces missing and she desperately wanted them back. She reached out and placed her hand around one of Alice's tiny feet.

She woke immediately, surging upwards, one hand wrapped competently around her firearm. Claire caught her shoulder, halting her forward momentum and waited patiently for the other woman to fully awaken, she could just make out the quizzical look on her face as she recognized her. "Claire?" She pulled the muzzle of the pistol away from her immediately and stuffed it back under her pillow. Claire found that she wasn't bothered in the least bit by the other woman having a weapon pointed at her heart, she knew Alice wouldn't hurt her.

"We were friends?" Claire asked when Alice had sufficiently calmed and composed herself.

The older woman hesitated half a heartbeat in her answer. So briefly that someone else, someone not as familiar, would have missed it. The flash of uncertainty that crossed her features and the way her hand froze in the midst of rubbing at her neck, all in seconds. But Claire saw it, heaven was in the details and she'd be damned before she missed them again.

"You could say that." A sleepy smile lifted Alice's lips while she rubbed at her eyes, seeming more interested at her rude awakening than irritated.

The next question caught in Claire's throat. She struggled for a moment, swallowing hard against the sudden lump blocking her speech. Her thoughts ran together at a dizzying pace, and her emotions knotted with them in the worst way, choking her.

"Was I a good person?" Her voice cracked on the end. It hurt to think that she might be wrong, that Claire Redfield was not deserving of the affection of the woman in front of her.

Alice's forehead wrinkled as she frowned, "You were - _are_ - a great person, Claire. One of my favorites," she gently touched the redheads fingers. "Why would you ask me that?"

"I feel like - like I let people down," tears pricked at the back of her eyes and Claire immediately looked away, ashamed of them.

The hand on hers squeezed her fingers warmly, prompting her to return her gaze to meet Alice's. The older woman was sporting a lopsided smile, and nothing but earnest care shone in her eyes.

"You're not the only one," she said softly, almost wistfully and Claire wondered what conversation she was replaying in her head. She felt a strong sense of deja vu at Alice's comment and knew it was yet another hole in the muddled mess of her brain.

"Did I hurt you?" She asked and closed her eyes tightly, afraid the answer was yes, that _that_ had been the reason Alice had not mentioned their previous relationship. It was too much to handle, the idea that she had just reclaimed her knowledge of their past and could lose the chance to re-experience it, to re-experience Alice, so soon.

"No," Alice's other hand cupped her cheek, "Claire, look at me."

The redhead forced her eyes to open, to see Alice's face blurred with tears.

Alice shook her head, "You never hurt me. You did exactly the opposite." Her thumb smoothed away a renegade tear that meandered it's way down from Claire's wet eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "There so much that I can't remember."

"It'll come back," Alice answered vehemently and continued to rub her thumb against Claire's cheek.

Claire managed a watery smile, "I hope you're right."

"I am," Alice said, the resolution in her voice so sure that Claire had to believe it. She covered Alice's hand with her own against her cheek and turned to drop a kiss in Alice's palm.

"I can't believe I forgot this," She mumbled forlornly. _When I get my hands on those sons of bitches, there's going to be _hell_ to pay_.

"You remember?" The hopeful expression that lit up her face was almost hard to look at.

"I think I've known all along," Claire whispered and touched her fingers to Alice's warm chest, right over her heart. "I couldn't remember your face, but I remembered _you_. I just couldn't put all the pieces together and I'm so sorry, for both of us, that it's taken me this long."

Alice didn't say anything in response but gently laid her hand over Claire's, pressing it more firmly to the rhythm of her heart.

"I don't know how I could ever forget this face," the younger woman mused, her voice so soft it was almost a thought. "You are so beautiful," She lifted her other hand and traced her features lightly. Alice's eye fluttered against the feather-like touch and her face turned into the caress. Claire stilled her touch against the older woman's cheekbone, her palm resting tenderly against the soft skin.

Her eyes opened again, drawing her in, drawing her deeper, and Claire finally dove all the way in, leaning forward to kiss Alice as soundly as she dared. Alice responded ardently, after only the briefest of pauses, her mouth opening under Claire's, who wasted no time in deepening the kiss with a low moan. Her hands shifted, coming up to cradle Alice's face, fingers twining in her thick dark hair, holding her more firmly to her insistent mouth. Her head was spinning, and her lungs were screaming, but she didn't ever want to surface. Not fully. So it was Alice that pulled away first, gasping, just far enough to lean their foreheads together while she caught her breath.

"Please tell me this isn't a dream," she groaned, her hands stroking over Claire's body as though to convince herself of that fact. Claire smiled and shook her head.

"It's real," she assured her lover and pulled her closer.

"I missed you," the brunette confessed, and lingering pain filled her words.

Claire kissed her again, barely brushing their lips together, Alice lifted her chin to chase the contact then moved out of range with a playful smirk. Claire narrowed her eyes and drew her in, holding her face to keep her from dodging this time. She felt Alice's smile against her mouth and decided it was time to wipe that smirk off her face. With a light pressure she eased Alice down onto the bunk beneath her and set herself to the task of re-mapping her lovers body. It would be her mission to find all the places that made Alice squirm with pleasure.

Alice's hands were in her hair, kneading and scratching pleasantly at her scalp while her body arched up into Claire's investigating lips. She could hear the brunette's breath start to become more rapid and smiled against the hot flesh of her neck. She'd been a little worried that she wouldn't remember how to love the woman under her, but as she latched on to Alice's collarbone, earning a more vocal response, she realized she shouldn't have worried.

"Claire," Alice's voice was shaking and Claire grinned against the bite mark she was nursing.

"I'm a little busy," she responded and licked her way back up to the brunette's swollen mouth. Her eyes rolled back as Alice responded by slipping her tongue into her mouth. _If kissing were an Olympic sport, Alice would be a gold medalist_, she thought dazedly and eagerly reciprocated the favor. Alice shifted, opening her legs to make room for Claire to lay on top of her more comfortably. Claire tore her lips free from Alice's and dropped her forehead to her sternum, punctuating her thoughts on the new position with a softly uttered, "fuck."

"That's the idea," Alice chuckled. Claire opened her mouth to retort only to suddenly find herself staring up at the ceiling, a still laughing Alice now sitting on her hips. "If you don't mind," she said with a wry smile, "I've kind of been dreaming about this for awhile."

Claire's breath hitched and her heart pounded away in her ears as Alice reached forward and delicately ran her fingers over the scar between her breasts. She watched a nameless emotion play through the older woman's eyes as she stroked the small mark, and shivered when Alice bent forward and replaced her fingers with her lips. She kissed the reminder almost reverently**, **then twisted her head to lay her ear against her and hugged her tightly. The redhead lifted a pale hand to run it through Alice's hair and blinked away the sudden moisture that had gathered in her eyes, refusing to cry any more than she already had. Alice shifted again, lifting herself back up to drop whispered kisses to Claire's eyelids, forehead, lips, cheeks, and along her throat. Claire lost herself in the caresses of her lover, a feeling of contentment and calm filling her as they exchanged deep, fervent, kisses. She couldn't help the long moan that vibrated in her chest and throat when Alice slipped her hands under her shirt to stroke against the heated skin of her stomach. Even without any clear memories, Claire knew those hands were capable of such violence, but they were soft and caring as they smoothed over her flesh. Alice's touch was so careful that it made it difficult to imagine her as the aloof, ruthless, warrior.

"Alice," Claire gasped as those worn hands closed in on her breasts, and with her eyes closed tight against the pleasure grasped the other woman's wrists. "Too much clothing."

Alice drew away from the ear lobe she'd been teasing and looked down at Claire thoughtfully. "The others could easily come down here," she said reluctantly, her thumbs passing languidly over Claire's straining nipples as she spoke. Claire bit down on her lip to keep the whimper to herself as much as possible.

"Please?" she managed to say.

Alice's hands moved immediately at her plea, slipping back down her waist to grip the hem of her tank-top. She stripped it off of her with ease, but her hands hovered above the black bra indecisively. "Please," Claire said again, needing to feel her touch without the hindrance of clothing. The bra came free and the cool air on her exposed breasts generated a delightful little shiver. Alice was staring down at her in the dark, and she could hear her panting quietly and feel her eyes roaming her naked torso. She took the opportunity to sit up as best she could with the other woman straddling her and reached to relieve Alice of her own restrictive attire. The simple black shirt came off over Alice's head easily enough, it hit the floor next to the bunk just as Alice reclaimed Claire's lips.

"We have to be quiet," she warned as she pressed Claire back into the lumpy mattress. Claire nodded, and drew her into a searing kiss, trembling beneath the older woman as she sank down onto her with a sigh. Alice's hands came back to her now bared chest with purpose, fingers finding and rolling her nipples while she smothered Claire's cries with her mouth. She pulled one hand away briefly to fumble for, find, and pull the tattered blanket over them. Claire doubted it was for warmth's sake, her skin already felt like it was on fire; More likely Alice was still worried someone would stumble upon them.

At this point she could not have cared less...

Alice's talented lips started dancing across her skin again, blazing a path from her swollen lips down, down, down. She bit the inside of her cheek when those smirking red lips closed around her nipple. Alice went after it with unbelievable focus, pulling it into her mouth to wetly suckle, teasing it with the tip of her tongue, and scraping it with her teeth. Claire had one hand in the other woman's hair, holding her in place, the other held onto the bed frame for dear life. Her back arched up and her heels dug deep into the mattress as her body attempted to push itself deeper into the source of her pleasure. Alice moved to give her other breast a turn in wonderland by way of several sloppy kisses against her torso.

"Oh Jesus," Claire couldn't help but whimper as one of Alice's hands snuck into her jeans. Her long fingers played at her, stroking and tracing. Her hips moved against the searching digits, desperately chasing the sensations. "Alice."

Alice shushed her and kissed her, tongue driving deep as her fingers did the same. Unlike in her memory, Alice was not tentative at all, her fingers moved with confidence. She set a quick, steady, pace that Claire's hips immediately began to rock in time with.

The redhead was not so lost in the moment to be completely useless, she rolled them easily to their sides, giving Alice better access to her quivering body. As she continued to thrust back against her she ran her hand between their bodies, straight for the apex of the other woman's thighs. It was her turn to swallow the choked cry as her nimble fingers slipped against Alice's clit. She teased the pad of her index finger around the little nub for what seemed like an eternity, happy to now be trading whimpered cries and sighs with Alice as well as hard kisses. Finally Alice bit down on her lip, not hard, but enough to get her attention, so she relented and buried two fingers in her.

They moved in tandem, hips jerking and grinding, tongues tangling, hands working to get them to that high. It didn't take long. Alice shuddered as her world went spinning and bit her lip to keep from crying Claire's name. Right behind her Claire arched sharply and sank her teeth into the mattress, only the smallest of sounds escaping.

Claire let out a heavy sigh when she fully returned to her cooling body, opening her eyes she found Alice smiling at her.

"Hi," she husked.

"Hey," she returned and felt an answering grin stretch her face. Alice turned her face into the mattress and huffed a quiet laugh, her fingers found Claire's under the blanket and interlaced them.

"You want to see if you can find our shirts?"

"No," Claire answered immediately and burrowed in closer to Alice, "definitely not."

Alice's full, raspy, laugh echoed around the cell for a moment and Claire couldn't help but join her. Though she still had no intention of searching for lost clothing articles, she was content to stay right where she was. Her hands drifted along every bare inch of Alice she had access to, she sighed again as she lovingly fondled Alice's breasts and pressed a quick kiss to her lovers shoulder. "Yup. Definitely _not_."

They traded a few lazy kisses, luxuriating in the silky feel of their bared skin running together and allowing their bodies to completely relax back into the newly christened bunk. Eventually Claire rolled over and didn't have to wait long for Alice to take the hint and wrap herself around her. They shuffled for a moment, rearranging tired limbs until they were comfortably tangled. Alice started drawing lazy circles around Claire's belly button and re-laced their fingers together with her other hand.

"Alice?" She twisted to look over her shoulder and found the brunette smiling sleepily back at her with half lidded eyes.

"Yeah," came the groggy answer.

"What do you miss most?"

Alice's hand ceased it's idle movements, spanned out over her stomach and pulled her back a little closer. She felt the other woman drop a warm kiss to her shoulder blade, her lips resting there until she answered, "Ice cream."

Claire chuckled at the thought, "Ice cream?" It almost sounded alien.

"Yeah, I love ice cream sundaes. It's a little ridiculous," Alice snorted. "What do you miss most, Claire?"

"Coffee," she replied, then rolled her eyes, "and tequila."

Alice laughed again and the sound warmed Claire, "Tequila?"

"Hell yes," Claire grumbled, "Look, I don't understand _why_, but I can tell you that I _miss_ tequila."

"Go to sleep, Claire," Alice said fondly, kissed the shell of her ear and settled back behind her, holding her close. "Morning always comes too soon."

Claire smiled and fought the heavy tug of the sandman just a little longer, she turned her head and seemingly reading her mind Alice sat up far enough to kiss her softly one last time. They parted with a mutual sigh and settled back down. Alice's hand commenced tracing again, slowly lulling Claire into a much needed sleep.

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TBC

Next chapter is the last one :] I hope you'll be coming back to read it!


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry this took me so long. Here, at long last, is the end! I hope you've enjoyed the ride :]

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_Claire burst into her apartment, slamming through the door in the throes of a full on panic attack. Her chest constricted painfully with each wheezed breath, still hitching with the loud sobs she was choking on. She looked wildly about the room, fully expecting to see another - another _thing_ like the one that had been in the garage, come at her. Instead she was met with an almost eerily quiet apartment. The TV wasn't on, nor the radio, not even the dishwasher was running. There were lights on, however, floor lamps that lit up small corners of her shared apartment in a cozy kind of way. It was home. It smelled like home, it looked like home, it felt like home. But no matter how safe she normally felt in this environment, it wasn't enough to fight down her anxious fear._

_"Kate?" She cried, bodily shutting the door and locking it with visibly shaking fingers. "Kate!"_

_No response. She scrubbed anxiously at her face, the tears were making it hard to see and had made her make-up run into her eyes, adding an unbearable burning sensation on top of everything. _

Zombies_, her mind was rambling and she clamped her hands against her ears instinctively, trying to shut it out. All she could see were those eyes, like hard boiled eggs, or that white film that covered a sharks eyes when they attacked. She shivered at the thought. Everything in her was screaming _ZOMBIE and _no matter how ridiculous she found it, she had to agree. The thing that had come at her, it wasn't human, she had not stayed to examine it more closely after braining it, but the way it moved, the way it acted..._

_"Kate! Where the fuck are you?" She needed her friend, needed her to laugh it off and tell her she'd imagined it. There was no way that zombies were real, she'd just seen too many horror movies and it had warped her tired, over stressed, mind._

_A loud thump down the hallway dragged a yelp from her. She slowly leaned around the corner, entire body tensed, to see Kate. Beautiful Kate. Standing in Claire's stolen flannel pajama pants and a battered "The Cure" t-shirt. Claire rushed towards her, babbling as she went._

_"Katie, oh my god, I'm so happy to see you. There was this thing in the garage and I - you're not going to believe me and I'm so scared."_

_She all but tackled the dark haired woman, clinging to her for dear life as she finished her rushed sentence. Only to notice that something was wrong. Horribly wrong. She felt it the moment her body came into contact with her friends. Kate wasn't talking, she wasn't moving to hold her back, her whole body felt slack._

_"Kate?" Claire moved away from her, trying to get a look at her face, a feeling of dread rising in her chest. "What's wrong?"_

_Kate's face was dead, her skin sallow and sunken, like she had the flu and her eyes - usually so vibrantly blue, filled with good humor and warmth, they were glazed and hollow. _

_"Kate?" Claire squeaked and started to step backwards. _

_The other woman came to life, much like the man in the garage had, she growled and practically fell forward after Claire, hands like talons raking the air after the fleeing redhead. She ran into Claire's back just as they entered the living room and they both went flying into the nearby bookshelf. Claire fumbled to regain her footing, scrambling madly amongst the scattered knick-knacks and school books that had tumbled onto the floor. She could feel Kate's rancid breath against the back of her neck and lashed out blindly, relieved when her foot connected with soft flesh. Her fingers found and closed around something hard just as Kate came at her again. She slapped the object against her friends head just as the other woman lunged, teeth gleaming, hungry for her flesh. The makeshift weapon had a devastating effect - it caved in Kate's skull where it impacted at her temple. The body dropped onto Claire, limp and heavy. She looked at her hands and found herself looking at Kate's beloved, bronze, Buddha statuette. Now covered in it's owners blood._

_Claire dropped it as though it had burnt her and burst into loud wrenching sobs. She gathered Kate's body up in her arms and started to rock, back and forth, while she cried into her damp hair. "Katie, no, God, no, I'm s-sorry, Katie, no, no, no." She shifted onto the floor, held her dead friend, and screamed._

"Claire!"

Her eyes snapped open into a deep blackness, she opened her mouth to scream, or sob, maybe both, only to find a hand over her mouth. Every muscle in her body tightened ready to fight to the death against her assailant, she felt herself coil and prepare to strike.

"Easy Claire, it's Alice. You're safe, baby, it's just a dream," the familiar raspy voice whispered right against her ear. As soon as recognition dawned and she began to relax Claire's entire frame was wracked by harsh sobs which sent shudders through her body. She shoved her fist into her mouth, biting down on her knuckles to keep from wailing.

Alice's warm body pressed even closer, her hands were rubbing at her skin and stroking her hair in soothing patterns, chasing away the shakes. "Breathe, come on, breathe."

Claire felt bile rise threateningly in her throat and gagged on it as her chest jerked painfully against her inhalations. _Kate, oh my god_. Another hard shiver took over her limbs and she rolled into the welcome security of the woman behind her, trying to hide from the darkness. "Alice," she choked and tried her damndest to climb into the brunettes skin.

"I'm here," Alice assured her, and held her fast against her chest. "Shh, just breathe Claire, you're going to hyperventilate. Deep breaths."

With her ear tucked against the other woman's heartbeat, she worked hard to do as asked, drawing long breaths in through her nose, pushing them out through her mouth, just like Kate had taught her. Eventually her breathing stabilized again and her body only tremored every now and then.

"That's it," Alice continued to coach, and dropped a soft kiss against Claire's temple. One of her hands smoothed Claire's chilled skin, the other moved gently against her aching skull trying to quell the headache she somehow seemed to know was on it's way. "It's okay."

"No, it's not," Claire croaked, and shook her head. "It's not."

Alice continued to slip her palm against Claire's bare back, shushing her as she pressed soft kisses against her hairline, doing everything in her power to calm her. The redhead fell silent as her body relented against the comfort and affection being bestowed upon it. She sighed heavily and allowed herself to let go of the last remnants of tension, relaxing fully into the embrace of her lover. They remained as they were for a moment, quiet except for the barely audible sounds of their breath and the sound of Alice's palm sliding against Claire's skin.

"Claire?"

"Hm?" Claire nuzzled in closer, burying her face in the join of Alice's neck and shoulder. "That feels nice," she commented as the brunette's strong fingers massaged the back of her head.

"Who's Kate?"

Claire let the silence stretch while she tried to wade through the emotions the simple question raised. It hurt to think about her, to even hear her name spoken aloud. She hadn't heard it come out her own mouth except for in her memories, and it felt heavy as she tried to wrap her lips around the simple name. _Kate_.

"Kate was my best friend," she said, finding that the word 'was' tasted bitter on her tongue. She let her gaze flick up and found Alice staring down at her.

"Do you want to tell me about it? Tell me about Kate?" Concern dripped from Alice's tone and it made Claire feel even worse about waking the other woman in such a manner._ God, I'm a fucking disaste_r.

"I don't remember much about her, just that she was my best friend and I feel like, in my memories, I feel like I adored her." Her voice began to thicken as she went on, she closed her eyes and dropped her head back into Alice's warm shoulder and arm.

"What happened to her?" Alice asked tentatively.

Claire grit her teeth against the inevitable question and the tears it immediately brought back. Her eyes burned and she knew they would be blood shot and miserable in the next few hours. "She died, she uh, she was bitten and I..." She relented and let the hot tears go, slithering out under her tightly clenched eyelids. "I killed her, Alice."

The brunette squeezed her tighter, lean arms shifting to enclose her into the warmth and safety offered by her presence. Claire let herself cry, this time a simple stream of tears steadily leaking with no effort from her to restrain them. Alice's hand came away from her strawberry hair to brush them away.

"My face is sticky," Claire tried to laugh and mostly coughed instead, but she felt Alice's smile against her ear.

"It's alright," she assured her and continued to tenderly wipe at the tears as they escaped.

"Alice, I - will you tell me something about you?"

The other woman's warm mouth graced Claire's tear streaked cheek with a kiss. "Sure, what do you want to know?"

"Anything," Claire sniffled and nestled even deeper into Alice's arms.

"I don't really have a lot to say," Alice admitted after a moment, "there's not anything especially cheerful to share."

"What did you do for fun before you became a super hero?" Claire prompted and closed her weary eyes once more.

"When I was younger, I used to hike and rock-climb. Constantly. Whenever I had time I was in the mountains exploring." Alice's voice took on a faraway tone as she continued, "there was always something calming to me about being alone in the trees or sitting on top of a mountain I'd climbed. I'd bring a book with me and scramble up a rock face, then sit in the sun and read all afternoon. My own little getaway. No cars, no phones, or people. Nothing but the sky above you and the Earth beneath you."

The redhead sighed at the thought, "that sounds awesome."

Alice chuckled above her and Claire felt the pass of the older woman's lips against her forehead once more. "It was definitely that. In a lot of ways all my time wandering around the wilderness helped me when the world went to hell. I'm used to being on my own and being in different environments."

"What is it with you and this 'wandering the Earth alone' concept?" The now drowsy woman grumped, recalling the gritty, broken, and awkwardly aloof stranger Alice had been when she came into her convoy what seemed a lifetime ago.

"My home-life wasn't the best in the world growing up," Alice answered nonchalantly, "being out on my own felt like an escape. A welcome escape. I've always felt most at home by myself, only my thoughts to keep me company."

Claire couldn't help the frown that distorted her pretty features, she didn't like the idea of Alice feeling that way. It didn't seem right. As though reading her thoughts, Alice added, "until I ran into this crazy tough redhead in the middle of the desert. She pretty effectively changed my mind on the whole 'lone warrior' thing."

A sleepy smile returned to that certain redheads face as she heard that, but it fell seconds later as something occurred to her amnesic mind.

"We've done this before, haven't we?" It was more statement than question, Claire frowned and wished she could shake the feelings of deja vu. At this rate she was worried they would be a permanent fixture in her life.

"Yes," Alice answered simply, a small matching frown on her lips as she watched Claire work through her thoughts.

"Except - except you were the one with the nightmares."

"You know what you told me? You said that it's okay to need someone, even if it's just to chase away nightmares." The older woman said thoughtfully, her thumb lightly brushed over Claire's bottom lip as she spoke. "You're allowed to follow your own advice. You've been through a lot, Claire."

"We both have," she grumbled and kissed the pad of Alice's thumb warmly. "At least you didn't turn into Gollum."

"No, I was much worse," the brunette sighed and wiggled down until she was nose to nose with the younger woman. Claire wrinkled her nose as Alice kissed it. "Gollum was insane at least, I was still completely rational."

"I don't remember," Claire confessed sadly, wondering if it would ever come back to her. Alice touched her cheek and closed the last couple of inches separating them to press a quick kiss to her lips.

"You will, give it some more time."

"How can you be so sure?" Claire asked with a huffed laugh. She desperately wanted to believe Alice, but at the rate she was going, it didn't seem likely she'd ever remember everything. Not before she died - or developed Alzheimer's. She snorted on her last thought and Alice quirked a dark eyebrow at her in response.

"I woke up without my memories once," She answered with a shake of her head. "They came back eventually... sometimes I wish they hadn't."

Silence fell between them again, a little heavier but it had a comforting weight to it, a gentle finality as both women let there minds wander unspoken. Eventually Claire draped an arm lazily over Alice's trim waist and whispered a request. "Turn over?"

Alice, whose eyes were closed, merely smiled and complied; switching to lie on her other hip, facing away from the redhead. Claire moved in close against her, both arms wrapping her up and pulling her back snugly against her front. Her eyes closed against the heat of their skin pressed together, she squirmed a bit longer, adjusting her legs, and let her head droop to rest against Alice's neck. "Thank you," she mumbled.

"No problem," Alice said, a hint of mirth to her rough voice. Her hands ran along Claire's forearms where they rested across her stomach, one of her larger hands enveloped hers, anchoring them together.

It wasn't long before they drifted off again.

When Claire opened her eyes again she found herself staring at the prison wall instead of the back of Alice's head. Confusion pulled her eyebrows together as she sat up on her elbow and looked around the room, more out of habit than genuine curiosity - it was clear that Alice wasn't there. She looked down as she rubbed at her arm lazily and found that her already tattered tank top was back on.

"That's the second time that woman has put clothes on me without me knowing it," she grumbled to herself and shucked the threadbare wool blanket off of her. As she stood up and stretched the unease snaked back into her system, causing her to pause mid back stretch as a thought rose unbidden to the forefront of her mind. _Alice could be in trouble_. She sighed heavily and shook her head,_ If Alice were in trouble I would be too. I would've noticed someone coming in and dragging her away. Or she would've woke my ass up._

"And now I'm arguing with myself," Claire said with an eye roll, "Great."

It wouldn't go away though, the nagging doubt that told her she needed to go find the brunette. Sooner rather than later. So she angrily snatched her vest up off the floor, checked to make sure her wicked looking hunting knife was secure on her hip and stalked out of the cell. Claire heard the soft murmurings of conversation further down the hall, and sped up her pace the barest of amounts. Her booted feet were still eerily silent, rolling heel to toe with a grace and stealth that surprised her a little. The more attention she paid to her body the more she liked what she noticed, but it was still a little shocking. There was power to her lithe form, she could feel it - dangerous but elegant. It pleased her to think that she might be a bit of a badass in her own right.

She entered the 'dining-hall' and found four pairs of eyes staring at her, most seemed curious, though the greasy haired one looked a little hostile. Claire found herself smiling as she immediately zeroed in on him and moved in his direction, a quiet purpose in each smooth step.

"Sorry, I didn't catch your name," she said curtly, stopping about a foot away from him. She could already tell he was nasty, something about him made her want to push his buttons and drive him mad. Just to see if she could make him uncomfortable. His gaze dropped to her feet and slowly slid up her body, leaving her feeling violated and grimy when he paused to take a long look at her chest. She cleared her throat and snapped her fingers between his nose and her breasts, pleased to have his attention off them and back on her eyes. "Are these your eyeballs? I found them in my cleavage," she said with every ounce of venom she could muster.

He had the decency to look cowed before his bluster came back on. "Bennet," he supplied with a sneer.

"Right, whatever" she made a point to wave a hand dismissively at his offering, "Have you seen my friend?"

His grin made her stomach drop and her temper flared to life, making her hands clench into fists where they rested on her hips.

"Yeah, sure. She's down in the showers with Luther."

_Ah, so that's it_, Claire smiled, "I hope she saved me some hot water," she chirped and spun on her heel immediately. She could feel him glaring holes into the back of her head, but could have cared less. He'd been hoping his little comment about Luther would push her off balance.

Not likely.

She had no idea where the 'showers' were going to be at, but she was fairly certain she could find them. Sure enough, after a few moments of wandering around she spotted Luther West leaning back against a wall, studying the ceiling intently.

Claire cleared her throat as she approached, deciding to be kind and give him a warning. She still managed to startle him out of whatever thoughts he was engaged in. He jerked slightly and twisted to glare at her, hand on the pistol tucked into his pants. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at the 'gangster' placement of his 'piece'. _What is it with these people? Is it the California thing or am I just missing out on a joke somewhere?_

"Luther, right?" She peered up at him, noting that his eyes also tracked over her entire body but thankfully didn't stop on her chest as Bennet's had. That fact alone bought him at least a couple of respect points.

"Yeah, Luther West," he gave her a sideways stare for just a moment longer and then extended his hand like he had the day before. This time Claire took it and squeezed back firmly.

"Claire," she introduced herself. Though he already knew that as well. It felt better to tell him herself, especially after her less than cordial meeting with him earlier. She almost felt bad about it. Almost. "Bennet said that Alice came down here with you?"

Luther motioned to the left with his head, pointing further down the hall. "Shower box is at the end of the hall." He faltered for a moment and his eyes dropped away from her, suddenly fascinated with his own shoes. "She didn't want to wake you."

She was surprised not to feel the burn of a blush, instead a small smile pulled at her mouth. There was something about making these men squirm that she loved. At the same time, however, she did feel a slight bit sorry that Alice had to contend with being discovered on her own. As jumpy as she had been of late, Claire would've thought her body would've jolted up all on its own paranoia power.

"Oh," was all she could think of to say in response. She could have sworn there was a blush on Luther's face as he managed to drag his gaze away from his apparently completely enthralling footwear to look her in the eye. She quirked an eyebrow at him and couldn't help the chuckle that snuck past her lips. It had the opposite effect that she'd been expecting, the tall man grinned back at her sheepishly and ducked his head. It was oddly endearing. She shook her head and leaned back against the wall opposite of him, now regarding him with a newly piqued interest.

"Is it okay for me to say I was a little surprised?" He finally said, shoving his hands into his track pants and cocking his head to the side.

Claire crossed her arms and let her head fall back against the cold stone behind her, still smiling, "I'm sure you were."

She could just imagine him walking right into their cell only to find Alice wrapped up with her, in a fashion that screamed 'not just friends' and the look on her lovers face when she woke to the sound. How they would have awkwardly stared at one another like deer in the bright lights of oncoming traffic. Stunned stupid. Then Luther would've tried to speak and Alice would've shushed him and gestured back at her in annoyance.

Yes. She could picture the whole thing.

"I appreciate you two letting me get my beauty sleep," she said with a small shake of her head.

"No problem," Luther grinned. "So Claire, tell me a bit about yourself."

Unable to not be irritated as, once again, she was reminded that she couldn't remember much about the mysterious Claire Redfield, she opened her mouth to tell him so only to be cut off by the sound of gunfire. She and Luther moved together without missing a beat. He yanked his pistol free of his pants and she ripped the knife out of her belt as they took off down the hall in the direction of the showers. Claire's heart leapt into her throat as the shooting stopped and shot a quick prayer upwards that the reason the gun fire had ceased was that whatever it was that needed killing was already dead - and Alice was alright.

She and Luther slid to a halt just inside the entry to the showers, Claire felt a rush of relief as Alice quirked an eyebrow at their entrance. She managed to reign in the urge to grab the other woman and settled for a slightly breathless "Are you okay?" instead.

Alice nodded and kicked a nearby piece of debris down the giant hole Claire now noticed, she felt her jaw drop a little. Luther moved away from her towards a body on the floor.

"What the fuck is this?"

Alice shrugged and walked over to her hanging holster, pulling it back on with practiced ease. Claire watched her with a small frown as the brunette re-holstered her pistol and turned off the shower. Nothing seemed to phase Alice, she was business as usual. "Umbrella experimenting. Evolution. How the fuck should I know? All I know is, we now seem to have worn out our welcome in this fine establishment."

Claire started to reply but was cut off by the small stampede of other survivors as they came stumbling into the room. She decided to let Alice do the talking and moved to inspect the 'entry point'. Squinting into the dark she couldn't make out much, besides the smell that is. Angel dropped into a crouch next to her and clicked on a flashlight. She smiled at him in thanks and they peered together into the long depths of the tunnel.

_Funny that so many people spend their time trying to tunnel out of prison_, she thought with a wry grin.

"_What_ is that smell?" Bennet, of course. Claire stood at the sound of his voice, he set off all sorts of alarm bells in her mind and she wasn't very happy about the fact that he was moving towards Alice.

"Must have burrowed up from the sewers," Alice said, dislike coloring her tone.

"Wendell said he heard things moving behind the walls," Luther chimed in.

Bennet seemed unhappy about this turn of events, he moved even closer to Alice. "Wait. So-so these things can just burst out anywhere?"

Claire tried really hard to keep from rolling her eyes and settled her hands on her hips. Waiting to see how this played out and ready to rush in to defend Alice if necessary. This group was desperate, and desperate people were known to do strange things when they thought they had to.

"We got to get out of this place," the smaller man beside her whimpered.

"Arcadia will send help!"

"No one's coming to get us, okay? No one. We have to help ourselves. Now this plane that you have." Bennet spoke directly to Alice now, and Claire took an involuntary step towards them. Alice was more than capable of taking care of herself but she knew Bennet's interest was in helping himself - if that meant trying to force Alice to fly him to safety, Claire wouldn't put it past him to try. She almost wished he would, if Alice didn't beat her to it she'd love the excuse to punch the arrogant slime-ball.

"Won't hold everyone," Alice shook her head, exasperation clear in her voice and body language. How many times were they going to have to explain the same thing?

"We could draw straws?"

"No. We all get out of here and no-one gets left behind," Alice declared, Claire had enough, she started towards her lover, ready to get the hell out of the small room with only one safe exit.

"Great how we going to do that? Walk out of here, just single file?"

"I think I know," Alice said, she relaxed noticeably when Claire came up on her right side. "You're not going to like it though."

Then without another word she made eye contact with Claire and then left the shower-box. Claire moved right along with her, surreptitiously sneaking her hand into Alice's for a brief moment. Just long enough to squeeze and receive one back in answer. She had no idea where they were going, but she knew Alice had a plan and as she had already learned first hand, her plans might be crazy, but with a little luck it would work out. They walked in silence, the footfalls of the others just behind them, as they went deeper into the prison. Claire snuck a little closer to the taller woman as it got darker, now that danger lurked, literally, behind the walls she wasn't feeling as secure as one should in a 'maximum security' facility. They entered what could only be described as a 'lair' or perhaps 'antechamber' to see Hannibal Lecters modern day cell in the center of the cavernous room.

"The fuck?" Claire breathed out, eyes wide as she took in the place. "They keep Dracula in here with Hannibal the Cannibal?"

She heard Alice chuckle ahead of her and hung back a little as the others filed in, busy looking around her in awe. Sometimes the things people thought of was just fascinating. _Why the hell does the room need to be this big? Were they planning on having raves here?_

"Are you crazy?"

She snapped out of her wonderment at the sound of Bennet's whining, with a huffed sigh she sidled up to the others, standing right behind Alice in case she was needed.

"They didn't want him getting out," Bennet's 'assistant' or whatever chimed in. Siding with his master of course.

"That's right. He's dangerous"

"Angel, what do you think?" Luther asked, and Claire had to wonder why they were even having a vote. The whole thing was stupid. If Alice wanted to let whoever was in the rat cage out - he was coming out. They weren't the Scooby-Doo gang and she was pretty sure democracy was dead.

"I think we don't have much of a choice," Angel replied warily.

"This is insane. Crystal, Crystal, Crystal, look at me, what do you think? I mean, not even you're that dumb."

"I guess I am. I agree with Angel. This guy thinks he knows a way out, I want to hear it."

"Alright," Alice moved forward, and together she and Luther worked to open the solitary cell.

"Seriously? This - this is a mistake. This is a big mistake. You better keep your eyes on him."

"I was wondering how long it would take," a deep scratchy voice said. Claire shivered at the sound, and uncrossed her arms, the whole room was giving her the creeps. She let her eyes fall on the torchlight silhouette of her lover and decided that leering at her probably wasn't a productive use of her time but it was more fun than listening to Bennet whine.

"Alright, let's get the hell out of here," Alice turned around and graced her with a knowing smile as she headed back towards the long flight of stairs that had brought them into the dank prison basement. She let herself follow Alice's movements, wishing they could rewind time and go back to earlier that morning when they'd been curled up together. Life had seemed a lot simpler in that moment.

"Claire?"

She blinked at the sound of her name in a strangers timbre and turned to find their dirtier, younger, version of Anthony Hopkins' muzzled maniac. He looked rough, and large as he stepped towards her. His hair was closely shaven, militaristic, and his garb suggested much the same thing. Except there was no rank, or name. But he carried himself like a soldier, at least, that's what her brain was telling her. She couldn't really remember having ever met a soldier, but when she looked at him, that's what came to mind. She was learning to trust her instincts. "What?"

"Claire, it's me, it's Chris."

To her utter astonishment the guy who'd been locked up in an over-sized gerbil cage came right into her space and set his fingers against her cheek. She blinked at him, bewildered, and tried with all her might to remember who he might be. He knew her name, he looked at her like he'd seen a ghost. Try though she did, all she got was a blank. No memories of this man whose eyes held a shimmer of hope and love. For all she knew he could really be nothing more than a serial raping murdering bastard.

Who had his nasty hand on her face.

Once again she found herself moving without any direct thought. She grabbed his hand where it rested against her skin and with a ruthless elegance executed a perfect cavalier*. His shoulder pressed against her and his back arched away from her painfully. Gripping his hand competently she spoke right into his ear, "I don't know you."

"Claire, I'm your brother, remember? What the hell's happened to you?"

_My brother - I have a brother_? It was all so much to take in. Her mind was swimming with all this information trying to make sense of it. Nothing about the man in her grasp was ringing any bells. Nothing. But he might be her brother, there was no way for her to know - the only person she knew was Alice and that seemed to have been some small miracle that she remembered her. Desperation rose up in her chest and clogged her throat, she would've given anything to know if 'Chris' was who he said he was. To be reunited with a family member in the midst of Hell on Earth, it would be one of the greatest gifts one could receive. Even more so for her because if anyone her brother would be able to help her piece herself back together, at least enough so that she could find her own way.

Dry hands slid over her skin and Alice's voice sounded right next to her, close enough to stir the hair at her temple. "Hey it's okay. Let him go." Claire immediately did as asked, shoving Chris forward, then leaned back into the welcome presence behind her. Alice's hands slipped away, down her arms, her right hand gripped her hip and pulled her infinitesimally closer. She didn't resist, but couldn't tear her eyes off the scowling man in front of her. Vaguely she heard Alice speaking again. "She suffered some sort of memory loss. If you really are her brother." Then another warm tug on her hip drew her in so Alice could again speak more directly to her, "It'll come back"

"Alright, this is very touching, I mean a family reunion, but could we get a move on please? Before we're all eaten the fuck alive?" Bennet dramatically cried.

Claire remained still and shuffled back further, Alice seemed to throw discretion out the window for the moment. Her left hand joined the right, both hands now holding the redheads hips lightly.

"Claire?"

"He's right. We should go," she twisted her head enough to make partial eye contact. "Now."

Alice's eyes seemed to dig into her soul, causing her to wonder if maybe the special powers Umbrella had graced her with included telepathy. Though Alice had told her the story of Wesker and the loss of her abilities, Claire felt that somehow, despite the odds, the older woman would be that one person who could foil the corporation's best laid plans. Alice pressed lightly at the small of her back and smiled reassuringly, directing Claire to go ahead of her towards the stairs. There would be time to figure it all out later, they had far more pressing matters at hand.

Like getting out alive.

* * *

END


End file.
